


A Broken Frame

by MakoReaper



Category: Fables, The Wolf Among Us
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Explicit Language, Fantasy, Murder Mystery, My first story ever I am low key so nervous like oh my lord, Other, Paranormal, Violence, also be careful cause this will get violent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-09
Updated: 2015-11-22
Packaged: 2018-04-30 18:29:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5174606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MakoReaper/pseuds/MakoReaper
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set after the events of The Wolf Among Us and prior to the main storyline in the Fables comics, Bigby Wolf is faced with a new task at hand. A being of dark matter has come to prey on the Fables in the sheriff's jurisdiction, and Bigby must resolve the issue, all while trying to gain trust from those around him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Dark Matter**

 

     A gloomy Sunday it was. Throughout Fabletown, mists and fogs converged together, forming a convoluted mosaic, and dripping matter from the sky echoed on every solid object it touched. Such a pattern would be considered normal by Mundies, but here, every pit and pat disguised a dubious being.

     Although, should it be called a being?

     No, the presence was not an entity as much as it was dark matter. Such a void of darkness can creep into all in any form. Such a form may change based on the wills of the darkness within, and the Dark Matter had been travelling and consuming all within its reach, preying upon fears and desires to fill its great shroud. However, the consumption did not fill the void's hunger. Thus, It continued the search for a wholesome soul to consume. One that contained an energy separate from those of the usual hunt. So it seeped into the edge of the town, under the cover of rain...

* * *

     Bigby Wolf found himself staring at a great mountain of dusty papers in his office, cigarette in hand. With an exasperated grunt, the Fable's face contorted into, quite frankly, a dissatisfied grimace. It had been quite some time since the investigation of Faith's death, and after the resolution (and mild tranquility), the poor fellow had unwillingly resigned himself to filling invoices and writing reports.

     Bigby sighed after completing an unusually long form (or so he thought). He then rubbed at the stubble on his face with a calloused palm. Who could imagine that paper could be so troublesome? Maybe, he figured, after another hour, he could ditch the busywork and rest (after appeasing Colin) at the apartment.

     However, such a thought was quickly dispelled by a sudden, unfamiliar noise. It was irritating, rapid, and loud. Bigby likened the noise to nails dragging across a board. However, the issue of Snow's safety in regards to the alien noise prompted him to rise from his chair, though not without indistinguishable profanities. Bigby snuffed his cigarette, and the door of his office opened as he emerged to an odd scene.

     In front of the sheriff was a glamoured Fable, most likely a lesser fairy from the scent. Panic rolled over their face as the Fable's body chattered. Their face was obtuse, eyes far apart, nose piggish, brow slumped, cheeks at an impossible angle. The Fable looked like a caricature from a distasteful novel. Noticing Bigby, the Fable turned to him to speak, and based off of Snow's body language, they had told some sort of outlandish tale.

     And now it was his turn to hear it.

     "Ah, M-mister W-wolf!" they stuttered.

     The Fable seemed to be unsure of Bigby's trustworthiness, like many of the others. This made Bigby tense.

     "There's a p-problem out there and I-I think it's something you would know about! It's a horrible, h-horrible thing!"

     The Fable paused suddenly and began to succumb to terror. They began to whimper and quake, causing Bigby to become irate.

     "Well?! Are you going to say anything? Or are you going to fucking sit there and have a pity party all to yourself?! Tell the damn thing that you need to speak about!"

     This made the quaking worse, and the Fable twitched like the earth. Snow, not tolerating such an exchange, gave Bigby a piercing glare with her oceanic eyes.

     "Listen", she said.

     Bigby returned his attention to the disturbed Fable, who continued their story.

     "W-well-"

     The Fable paused to breathe but continued quickly with another irritable glare from the rugged sheriff.

     "I w-was playing with a friend of m-mine, outside near some other kids like us, and she's s-so little-"

     The Fable sobbed.

     "A-and well...s-she suddenly fell on the g-ground and wouldn't m-move!"

     The Fable collapsed into Snow's arms, sobbing uncontrollably. Bigby removed a new cigarette from its box and lit it, sighing.

     "I suppose I'll investigate."

* * *

 

     And once again, he found himself in a cab, bound towards uncertainty.

     ...And into the heart of the dark void's presence, which was only beginning Its hunt.

 


	2. Chapter 2: Black Powder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Note: There are graphic descriptions of death and gore in this chapter. If this triggers you, skip it. Your welfare is more important than this chapter.

**Chapter 2: Black Powder**

     Rain continued to pound its beat unto the town when the sheriff and his party arrived. Various Fables, all of whom had been glamoured, huddled in a large circle. They had stopped to gawk at a corpse in the rain.

     The ambiguous Fable who had recounted the incident in question began to sob uncontrollably and attempted to run to their former friend. Snow followed as Bigby began to emerge from the vehicle.

     "You need to calm yourself", she stated. "Is there anything out of the ordinary that you noticed before all of this happened?"

     As Snow interviewed the temporary companion, Bigby approached the scene. Those gathered in the circle sensed the wolf's presence, and some detached themselves from the group. They were suspicious. Bigby, in turn, huffed in frustration. Didn't these idiots know that, as Sheriff, his only intention was to preserve order and peace within Fabletown's borders? The wolf wanted to throttle something.

     Suddenly, the wolf was hit by a wall of stench. Decay hung in the air, pervading the decency of the surrounding streets. As Bigby made his way through the circle, the scene in the center came into view. Bigby cursed as he saw the corpse.

     It was a mangled mass of what was some sort of imp. The body was imploded, skin sagging inwards with the skeletal frame trying to show that there was once a living soul in the corpse. Blood and black powder oozed outwards from the corpse, yet there was no visual evidence that the corpse had been stabbed or cut open. It was odd. Getting a better view of the corpse, Bigby saw that the Fable's eyelids were open. However, no eyes were encased in the lids. Just an empty, gorey void. He turned to view the extremities, which curled up into an x, indicating that the Fable had attempted to struggle against whatever had killed it. Furthermore, blood was artistically splattered along the ground, and the viscera was strewn carelessly nearby. It was still wet and oozed what appeared to be a black pus. All in all, it was a disgusting tableaux of death.

     "Holy shit", Bigby muttered to himself. 

     The smell overloaded his nostrils, causing them to flare upwards in disgust. Gathering evidence would be somewhat difficult. At least the CSU would be present soon and could do most of the dirty work. The crowd began to converse again, making an annoying pitter patter like the rain, which was now clearing. Snow, however, interrupted the pattern with instructions to clear the area, as it was a crime scene, before returning her attention to the distressed companion that came along. 

     Bigby rustled around in his pockets to obtain a worn pen and a loose notebook from his pocket (whilst grunting in frustration because the pen had leaked once again) and began to write down what he saw. It was, in his professional opinion, one of the most fucking disgusting things he had seen in a while. Going home sounded really good at the moment. 

     Then, a suspicious object caught his eye. He shifted his weight (during his observations, Bigby had crouched down into an awkard squat) and rubbed his stubble inquisitively; to the right of the body was a small rectangular object stained by blood. It seeped outwards from the rectangle, making Bigby uncomfortable. But, he did have an idea.

     "Snow!" Bigby barked. "I need a bag!"

     Snow procured an evidence bag (although quite irritably) and gave it to Bigby. With the bag, he turned it inside out and picked up the rectangle, grasping it gently so as to refrain from spreading any more blood around. Bigby then closed the bag with haste just as a sensation overcame him.

     Something was wrong.

     Bigby turned around, expecting some sort of malevolent monstrosity, but only saw a handicapped old man with a small cane. The man was simply dressed in a cardigan and slacks. He wheezed as if he could not inhale and exhale air like anyone else. Despite the humble appearance, the musk surrounding the elderly individual was dark and dampened Bigby's mood. The wolf was on edge.

     Suddenly, the old man stopped, causing Bigby to tense and prepare for the worst. However, he only turned his had and stated plainly:

     "There's a storm coming."

     The man then turned and wobbled away as Bigby, Snow, and the ambiguous Fable stared at him. With the possible danger receding, Bigby began to relax. He could look into the man later. There was something off about the fellow.

     But now, he needed to figure out what meaning the rectangle held.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Agh I had so much fun with this chapter. Also, coming up with a kind of foreshadowing death was interesting because I wanted to play around with some ideas I had. On the other hand, I profusely apologize for not sticking to the original schedule I had for getting this chapter up (school literally ran over me like a bus with the workload that happened over the past two weeks). Good news, however, is that I only have two days of school next week, so I can probably get a couple of chapters up for you guys. Constructive criticism is appreciated as always, and the song that inspired the chapter title is "Black Powder" by Autoclav 1.1.
> 
> -Aimée.

**Author's Note:**

> Goodness, this was a bit difficult for me! I haven't written in a while, but this story is for a friend. It's a promise I made, and I've finally gotten around to it. The premise of this story is Bigby being Bigby, I suppose, and how he is conflicted with people not trusting him.
> 
> There's also bits referencing souls and songs. The title of the overall work is the title of a Depeche Mode album, which I found to probably be one of the first darker ones. The title spoke to me though, like a broken frame could be a disruption or a disturbance in your existence or soul. The chapter title comes from a Björk song off of her Biophilia album. It also helps with some exposition and hints regarding the antagonist that will appear eventually.
> 
> Edit 11/9: Note: I will have Chapter 2 up on 11/13. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter, and constructive criticism would be appreciated.


End file.
